Are you a Master’s graduate looking for fully funded PhD opportunities? Explore the range of funded PhD programs available at the Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands. Apply online now and kickstart your doctoral journey!
1. Fully Funded PhD Position in Evolution and innovation in eukaryotic genomes
Summary of PhD Program:
The emergence of the complex eukaryotic cell, which gave rise to infamous lineages like plants, animals and fungi, comprises one of the major outstanding questions in evolutionary biology. The past decade has brought large progress in identifying the prokaryotic origins of eukaryotes. In this development, our group discovered the Asgard archaea, eukaryotes’ closest prokaryotic relatives, marking an important inflection point.
Application Deadline: 31 October 2024
2. Fully Funded PhD Position in small RNA inheritance in plants
Summary of PhD Program:
In addition to genetic information hard coded in DNA sequences, parents can chemically modify their chromatin to record information acquired during their life, and then transmit this epigenetic information to their progeny. Although such epigenetic inheritance challenges textbook views of inheritance and has important implications for evolution, agriculture and human health, the mechanisms of this atypical mode of inheritance have mostly remained elusive. In plants, small RNAs direct DNA methylation of transposons and genes during embryogenesis and are ideal vectors to transmit epigenetic information from parents to their offspring.
Application Deadline: 30 September 2024
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3. Fully Funded PhD Position in Regenerating labour in food provisioning
Summary of PhD Program:
This PhD will be one of 19 PhDs being recruited to support the monitoring, modelling and valuing of regenerative farms in the Netherlands. This large-scale transdisciplinary project (ReGeNL) will assess which combinations of practices contribute to regenerative outcomes at 8 different types of regenerative agriculture systems. The project aims to be an accelerator for the transition to a regenerative, remunerative and socially supported agricultural sector.
Application Deadline: 16 September 2024
4. Fully Funded PhD Position in Quality of farm labour and new organizational arrangements
Summary of PhD Program:
Regenerative agriculture is leading to a greater variety of farming practices, which is prompting changes in the organization, quality, and compensation of farm labour. This includes the introduction of new pension schemes, farm succession plans, and new multifunctionality and community cooperative arrangements (Zoöps). However, not much is known about how these new organizational structures impact the continuity, quality, and compensation of farm labour. Do these new organizational arrangements make farm labour more appealing? In what ways? What factors contribute to making farm labour attractive and accessible? And how does this relate to new organizational arrangements and succession plans? Over the next decade, half of the farms in the Netherlands will need to address succession, and more than half have not yet identified a successor. What new collective succession plans are emerging?
Application Deadline: 16 September 2024
5. Fully Funded PhD Position in Mitochondrial dysfunction-derived lipid droplet accumulation promotes atrial fibrillation in diabetes
Summary of PhD Program:
Do you have a strong interest and background in academic research in the field of cardiac and metabolic health? Are you interested in experimental molecular physiological research to generate mechanistic knowledge on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and lipid droplets in arrhythmogenesis leading to atrial fibrillation in patients with diabetes, and using multiple systems to test potential compounds to prevent cardiac arrhythmia in diabetes? Then this position as PhD candidate at the chair group Human and Animal Physiology may be of interest to you.
Application Deadline: September 16th, 2024
6. Fully Funded PhD Position in Environmental modulation of protein mobility in land plants
Summary of PhD Program:
Would you like to unravel the physiology and molecular mechanisms responsible for protein mobility in response to environmental stimuli? Are you looking to pursue a career in academia? We are looking for an inventive, creative and talented PhD student to join our team! Much like commuters between cities, proteins can move from one cell to another. One way in which intercellular ‘commuting’ is achieved is through cytoplasmic bridges called plasmodesmata (PD). PD span cell walls, effectively creating a link between the cytoplasm of two adjacent cells. How this dynamic process is affected by environmental factors is still largely unexplored. In this joint project between the Romanowski and the De Keijzer groups, we want to understand how environmental factors, particularly neighbouring shade signals, can affect cell-to-cell protein mobility.
Application Deadline: 16 September 2024
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7. Fully Funded PhD Position in diet-related consequences of obesity treatment
Summary of PhD Program:
The MONUCO project (MOnitoring NUtritional COnsequences of Obesity Treatment) was conceptualized to better understand the consequences of obesity treatment on women’s longer-term health, with a primary focus on musculoskeletal health. This multicentre 10-year prospective observational cohort study of approx. 1200 women will include a birth cohort. Measurements will be performed 6-weeks pre-surgery, at three and six months, and between one year and upto ten years post-surgery. Within the integrated birth cohort, measurements will be collected preconception, at each trimester during pregnancy, at two- and six-months postpartum, and between one to four years after pregnancy.
Application Deadline: 15 September 2024
8. Fully Funded PhD Position in Sustainability and Modeling for Cellular Agriculture
Summary of PhD Program:
With the world’s population predicted to surpass nine billion by 2050, substantial challenges emerge regarding food production and security. Traditional practices such as livestock farming and fishing are deemed unsustainable due to their resource-intensive nature and adverse environmental effects. Therefore, there is an ever-growing need for innovative and sustainable food production technologies. Cellular Agriculture is an emerging technology where animal derived products are produced using cell culture technologies instead of livestock. Despite significant advances in the field, several key technical obstacles remain to be addressed before this technology is viable at a commercial scale.
Application Deadline: 22 September 2024
9. Fully Funded PhD Position in Advanced polymer synthesis for proton exchange membrane fabrication
Summary of PhD Program:
Hydrogen plays an important role as a feedstock in various industrial processes, such as refining and ammonia production. Additionally, hydrogen can be used to generate electricity through fuel cells, particularly during periods when solar and wind power are insufficient. However, current technologies face challenges, including the use of fluorine-based polymers in proton exchange membrane fuel cells, which have significant environmental impacts.
Application Deadline: 16 September 2024
10. Fully Funded PhD Position in drop to rain – turbulence matters
Summary of PhD Program:
We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD candidate with a background in meteorology/atmospheric sciences, for fundamental research on cloud droplet dynamics in turbulent environments. In this project, you will use the Turbulent Leipzig Aerosol Cloud Interaction Simulator (LACIS-T), a unique turbulent moist-air wind tunnel, which will provide direct measurements of droplet collision and coalescence under different meteorological conditions. You will combine the measurements with highly resolved simulations using computational fluid dynamics (using the OpenFOAM software package), to quantify the collision and coalescence process in turbulent environments, providing the basis to understand fast rain formation.
Application Deadline: 23 September 2024
11. Fully Funded PhD Position in WildMarsh 1 – Enhancing coastal resilience through trophic rewilding
Summary of PhD Program:
Are you passionate about (marine) ecology research and eager to explore innovative solutions for enhancing coastal resilience? We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate to join our multidisciplinary research on trophic rewilding in salt marshes, with a focus on understanding its impact on ecosystem functioning and resilience against climate change. If you are driven by a desire to make a difference in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change, this position is for you!
Application Deadline: 29 September 2024
12. Fully Funded PhD Position in Do honeybees use fungi for self-medication?
Summary of PhD Program:
Self-medication by animals is a growing area of research. Various insect pharmacists using plants have been discovered in the last years while this behaviour was previously thought to be restricted to animals with high cognitive abilities. Plants are not the only source for medication; fungal derivatives are also very important for medication as shown by the discovery of penicillin, the first human antibiotic. This PhD project will broaden the scope of insect medication by looking beyond the use of plant compounds. More specifically, this PhD project will use Western honeybees as a model to study social insect medication, based on fungal secondary metabolites from various mushroom-forming fungi (Agaricomycetes) against viral pathogens.
Application Deadline: 23 September 2024
13. Fully Funded PhD Position in Characterization and optimization of Salicornia biomass quality under saline and contaminated soils
Summary of PhD Program:
Plant biomass is the foundation for bio-based industries, providing the building blocks for products such as biomaterials and bio-based chemicals. In this context, the demand for renewable biomass sources for transforming the fossil to a bio-based economy will grow and crop residues will not suffice to satisfy this demand. Today, approximately 4.6 million tons of biobased chemicals and materials are supplied by EU biorefineries, and by 2030 an increase of 3.1 million tons of sustainable green feedstock from dedicated crops, residues and wastes, will be required to fulfil the demands of new or expanded European biorefineries.
Application Deadline: 22 September 2024
14. Fully Funded PhD Position in Sinking river deltas: modelling of land subsidence processes, projecting impacts of relative sea-level rise and designing solutions
Summary of PhD Program:
In this PhD research project you will collect and analyse geomorphology, hydro(geo)logy, and geomechanical engineering data from sinking deltas located in SE Asia (Chao Phraya, Mekong, and Pampanga located respectively in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines) and combine innovative numerical models to quantify different land subsidence processes and subsurface interactions. With these new models and quantifications you will contribute to create reliable projections of relative sea-level rise. You will contribute to the dissemination of these policy relevant scientific findings and use these insights to develop effective mitigation strategies aimed to reduce land subsidence and relative sea-level rise in these vulnerable deltas.
Application Deadline: 30 September 2024
15. Fully Funded PhD Position in Effectively steering the regenerative agriculture transition
Summary of PhD Program:
This PhD will be based within the Public Administration and Policy group, in collaboration with the Animal Production Systems group, both at Wageningen University & Research. As such, the position is situated on the interface of social and agricultural sciences. You will get the opportunity to develop and execute your own research proposal within the larger scope of the project. As a PhD you will receive support and mentorship in the design and implementation of your PhD project. You will develop a training and supervision plan with your supervisory team and be part of the ReGeNL training program on Regenerative Agriculture.
Application Deadline: 29 September 2024
16. Fully Funded PhD Position in Coherent policies and indicators for regenerative agriculture
Summary of PhD Program:
The ReGENL project aims to develop a future-proof agricultural sector in which agriculture goes hand in hand with soil health, nature restoration, and a good revenue model for farmers. Between now and 2030, ReGeNL will support the transition to regenerative agriculture with 1000 farmers. The aim is to make regenerative agriculture the new normal by 2040. The project aims to be an accelerator for the transition to a regenerative, profitable and socially supported agricultural sector. It is embedded in a large consortium of partners from farming, processing to retail, banking and education.
Application Deadline: 29 September 2024
17. Fully Funded PhD Position in Developing a Whole School Approaches to Regenerative Agriculture
Summary of PhD Program:
In this research you will work with the concept of a Whole School Approach (WSA) as a lens for enacting a systemic and integral approach to realizing this challenge. The WSA implies that attention will need to be paid to the schools’ vision and ethos, the curriculum, pedagogy and learning, the schools as a living practice and lab itself, the relationship with the community and the region and, lastly the professional development of all staff.
Application Deadline: 30 September 2024
18. Fully Funded PhD Position in Regenerative competences for future-proof farming
Summary of PhD Program:
In this research these cross-sectoral competences will be identified, specified and mapped. In addition, the question of how these competences can be developed and supported will be addressed as well. What kind of knowledge, both old and new, and practices within food production and the value chain, can support the development of these ‘regenerative competences? Worldwide, there are many new educational initiatives in regenerative agriculture, both by formal green education as by informal farmer organizations and NGOs. Are these diverse learning arrangements meeting the profession’s needs and contributing to regenerative outcomes? Furthermore, what institutional changes are necessary to ensure that formal and informal educational bodies (re)generate learning environments and competences necessary for future-proof farming.
Application Deadline: 30 September 2024
